1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in cookware, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to insulated cookware for reducing inadvertent overcooking of food.
2. Description of the prior art
In the preparation of many foods the cooking time is often quite critical and overcooking may be very detrimental to the final quality of the cooked food. This problem is particularly prevalent in the baking of foods in an oven, or the like, wherein overbaking may substantially ruin the food. For example, cookies will burn relatively quickly if permitted to stay in the oven longer than the prescribed time, although they may also be underdone if removed from the oven prematurely. Furthermore all ovens do not cook "the same" since some ovens are apparently "hotter" than other ovens even though the temperature control for the oven may be at the same setting as another oven. As a result, there is sometimes very little tolerance in the baking time for many foods.
Cooking utensils have been developed for improving or facilitating the cooking of foods such as those shown in the Braddick U.S. Pat. No. 1,324,297 issued Dec. 9, 1919 and entitled "Pie and Cake Baker". This patent shows a cake and pie baker particularly designed for reducing the amount of heat required for baking of these foods. The Darley U.S. Pat. No. 1,505,703, issued Aug 19, 1924 and entitled "Heating Utensil" discloses a double walled vessel having a heat transmitting medium interposed between the walls thereof. The Fassett U.S. Pat. No. 1,569,734 issued Jan. 12, 1926 and entitled "Insulated Vessel for Cooking, Holding, and Serving Foods" relates to a vessel designed for holding a cooking temperature for an extended time period to reduce the amount of heat required during the cooking operation and for keeping the cooked food warm for an extended time period to facilitate the serving thereof. The Kussa et al U.S. Pat. No. 1,749,433 issued Mar. 4, 1903 and entitled "Baking Pan and Method of Baking" shows a baking pan particularly designed for baking of two loaves of bread simultaneously or in a common pan, and particularly being constructed whereby the portion thereof coming into contact with the bread dough is insulated from the portion that is subjected to the direct heat, thus preventing the forming of a tough crust on the bottom and sides of the bread. The Hofstetter U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,728 issued Oct. 27, 1981 and entitled "Energy Saving Pots, Pans and Adapter" discloses a cooking vessel including an L-shaped heat shield extending around the outer periphery thereof.
In addition, an insulated cooking sheet was developed in the past to alleviate or at least reduce the critical baking time in the cookie baking procedures. This insulated cooking sheet comprised a double walled planar body having asbestos interposed between the walls thereof for reducing the temperature of the cooking surface of the cookie sheet to lessen the danger of overbaking or burning the bottom of the cookies. Of course, in recent times the use of asbestos has been greatly curtailed and it is certainly not desirable to use asbestos in connection with cooking utensils, so the asbestos cooking sheet is no longer a viable solution to the problem.